Moon King is the

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...

project of Canadian songwriter and producer Daniel Benjamin. Moon King's music has been described as

dream pop Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such as ...

, electronic pop or

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

. Recently the project's sound has shifted to include disco, synthpop and house music. Daniel was born in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, and as a teen was involved in the city's DIY music community, playing in numerous bands and organizing events including several all-night concerts at a circus rehearsal warehouse, and on the Toronto Islands. In the early 2010s he became closely affiliated with Montreal label Arbutus Records, and began frequently performing as a touring musician with

Grimes Claire Elise Boucher (; born March 17, 1988), known professionally as Grimes, is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Her early work has been described as extending from "lo-fi R&B" to futuristic dance-pop, and has in ...

Sean Nicholas Savage Sean Nicholas Savage (born London May 30th, 1986) is a Canadian Singer, Songwriter, and Musical Playwright. He has been described by Emilie Friedlander in an article for ''The Fader ''The Fader'' (stylized as ''FADER'') is a magazine based in ...

and Doldrums, while beginning to write and produce his own music.

Fucked Up Fucked Up is a Canadian hardcore punk band from Toronto, Ontario, formed in 2001. The band consists of Damian Abraham (vocals), Mike Haliechuk (guitar, vocals), Josh Zucker (guitar), Sandy Miranda (bass), and Jonah Falco (drums, vocals). From 2 ...

guitarist Mike Haliechuk released two early 12" EPs, Obsession I and Obsession II, on his label One Big Silence. Performing live with guitarist and vocalist Maddy Wilde, as well as a rotating cast of backup musicians, Moon King toured heavily from 2013-2015, supporting artists including

Unknown Mortal Orchestra Unknown Mortal Orchestra (UMO) is a New Zealand psychedelic rock band formed in Auckland, primarily composed of singer, guitarist, and songwriter Ruban Nielson, and bassist Jake Portrait. The band is currently based in Portland, Oregon, United ...

Austra Austra is an island on the border between Trøndelag and Nordland counties in Norway. The island is shared between the municipalities of Bindal, Leka, and Nærøysund Nærøysund is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is locat ...

TOPS Total Operations Processing System (TOPS) is a computer system for managing railway locomotives and rolling stock, known for many years of use in the United Kingdom. TOPS was originally developed between the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP), S ...

Majical Cloudz Majical Cloudz was a Canadian music group from Montreal consisting of singer-songwriter Devon Welsh and Matt Otto. The group disbanded in March 2016. History Welsh, the son of actor Kenneth Welsh and Corinne Farago,Mr Twin Sister Mr Twin Sister (formerly Twin Sister) is an American band from New York City. Their music has been described as chill wave, indie pop,Lopez, L.V"The Class of 2011: An Interview with Twin Sister" Frontier Psychiatrist, August 17th, 2011 dream pop, ...

and

Alvvays Alvvays (pronounced "always") is a Canadian indie pop band formed in 2011, originating from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, and currently based in Toronto, Ontario. It consists of Molly Rankin (vocals and guitar), Kerri MacLellan (keyboard ...

, and releasing an album, 2015's ''Secret Life''. At end of 2015 Daniel relocated to Detroit, Michigan, and spent the next year immersing himself in Detroit's dance music and DJ culture, which eventually began to influence his own recordings. Eventually a collection of new material found its way back to Arbutus Records in Montreal, who offered to release it. Hamtramck '16, named for the Detroit-area neighborhood, was released in the summer of 2017, documenting Moon King's shift towards disco and dance music. This was followed by 2019's ''Voice Of Lovers'', and ''The Audition'' in 2021, a disco album about learning to become an actor.

Discography

Albums

* ''Secret Life'' (

Last Gang Records Last Gang Records is a record label formed by Canadian music industry lawyer Chris Taylor (businessman), Chris Taylor and concert promoter Donald K. Tarlton in the Fall of 2003 at the Pop Montreal Music Festival. Last Gang was nominated as Indepe ...

, 2015) * ''Hamtramck '16'' (

Arbutus Records Arbutus Records is a Montreal based record label and Artist Management, management company founded by Sebastian Cowan in 2009. The label is named after the street by the same name in Vancouver, where Cowan grew up. The label have also begun expand ...

, 2017) * ''Voice of Lovers'' (

, 2019) * ''The Audition'' (

, 2021)

Singles and EPs

* ''Obsession I'' (One Big Silence, 2012) * ''Obsession II'' (One Big Silence, 2013) * ''I've Stopped Believing/Apartment Fire'' (Arbutus Records, 2018) * ''Voice Of Lovers SOBO Mixes'' (SOBO Records, 2020) * ''Seconds From You'' with Vespre (Arbutus Records, 2020)

References

{{Authority control Canadian pop music groups Musical groups established in 2012 Canadian dream pop musical groups Canadian indie rock groups Arbutus Records artists 2012 establishments in Ontario